Divider assembly for corn header

ABSTRACT

A corn header has a row unit frame and an auger sweeping ears of corn toward a center of the corn header. A corn row divider assembly has a snout and gatherer hood hingeably coupled to, and aft of, the snout. An aft end of the gatherer hood extends beneath and to the rear of the fore end of the auger in an operational configuration of the divider assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/798,873, filed Mar. 13, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,032,700, whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to headers for agriculturalmachines and, more particularly, is related to corn headers.

BACKGROUND

Agricultural harvesters such as combines are typically equipped with aharvesting header. For instance, corn headers are specifically designedto pick up corn, and vary in size (e.g., two row units, twelve rowunits, etc.). As the harvester moves through the field, each row unitpasses between rows of corn. Corn header row units typically usegathering chains or other mechanisms to covey crop material and earsrearward toward a cross auger. A set of driven stalk rolls, which mayrotate based on the speed of the harvester, grabs the corn stalks andforces them downward between stripper plates. The ears of corn aresnapped free of the stalk and the cross auger passes the ears to thefeeder housing of the harvester. When the harvesting job is completed,the corn header is transported based on a fore and aft length that maybe limited by regulations, and stored. Each stalk roll resides beneath acorn row divider assembly that includes a snout and gatherer hood. Whenone or more row units require servicing, the snout and gathering hoodfor one or more corn row divider assemblies may be raised to enableaccess to the row units or stalk roll associated with the row units. Ineach case, the corn header and corn row divider assembly configuration(e.g., overall arrangement and dimensions) during harvesting operations(e.g., operational configuration) is typically different than anon-operational configuration (e.g., for transport and/or storage).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with referenceto the following drawings. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a front perspective view of anexample embodiment of a corn header in an operational configuration.

FIGS. 2A-2C are schematic diagrams showing a fragmentary, side elevationview of an example embodiment of a corn header having a corn row dividerassembly comprising a snout and gatherer hood as the corn row dividerassembly transitions from an operational configuration to anon-operational configuration.

FIGS. 3A-3B are schematic diagrams showing an overhead, frontperspective fragmentary view of an example embodiment of a supportembodied as a gas strut, and four-point hinge assembly as the corn rowdivider assembly transitions from an operational configuration.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a bottom view, side perspective ofa portion of an example embodiment of an assembly comprising atelescoping support and four-point hinge assembly of an example corn rowdivider assembly.

FIGS. 5A-5C are schematic diagrams showing a fragmentary, side elevationview of an example embodiment of a corn row divider assembly revealing achange in configuration of an example embodiment of a four-point hingeassembly as the corn row divider assembly transitions from anoperational configuration to a non-operational configuration.

FIGS. 6A-6D are schematic diagrams showing a fragmentary, side elevationview of an example embodiment of a corn row divider assembly withtelescoping support and four-point hinge assembly having a hinge memberprogressing through a series of relative angle changes as the corn rowdivider assembly transitions from an operational configuration to anon-operational configuration.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram that illustrates an example embodiment of agatherer and snout folding method.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Overview

In one embodiment, a method comprising moving a corn row dividerassembly of a corn header forwardly and upwardly from an operationalconfiguration of the corn row divider assembly, the corn row dividerassembly comprising a snout hingeably coupled to the gatherer hood;collapsing the snout relative to the gatherer hood; and moving thecollapsed snout and gatherer hood rearward to a non-operationalconfiguration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments of a corn header and associated corn row dividerassembly are disclosed that enable the corn header and its componentparts to transition from an operational configuration (e.g., to harvestcrop material) to a non-operational configuration (e.g., transport orstorage configurations). In order for a corn header to functionproperly, the relationships and shapes of the snout and gatherer hood ofthe corn row divider assembly, and cross auger are important. Forinstance, a corn header has recently been developed by the assignee ofthe present disclosure that functions well with crop interaction (e.g.,in the operational configuration), yet the design presents challengeswhen using conventional structures (e.g., simple hinge) for folding thesnout and gatherer hood enough for end-wise transport and high enoughfor storage on the ground in the folded position. In particular, in onedesign, the cross auger overhangs the rear (aft end) of the gathererhood, which limits the angle that the snout and gatherer hood of eachcorn row divider assembly can be raised without interference with thecross auger when using a simple hinge. However, the overhang is theresult of a large diameter cross auger that, through its extended“reach,” promotes good feeding and, in general, excellent fieldperformance. Certain embodiments of corn headers and corn row dividerassemblies overcome these challenges by using a telescoping support(e.g., mechanical, gas strut, etc.) in coordination with a four-pointhinge assembly that causes momentary upward and forward movement of eachcorn row divider assembly from the operational configuration, enablingthe aft end of the gatherer hood to circumvent the fore end cross augeroverhang.

Having summarized certain features of a corn header and associated cornrow divider assembly of the present disclosure, reference will now bemade in detail to the description of the disclosure as illustrated inthe drawings. While the disclosure is described in connection with thesedrawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment orembodiments disclosed herein. Further, although the descriptionidentifies or describes specifics of one or more embodiments, suchspecifics are not necessarily part of every embodiment. On the contrary,the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalentsincluded within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims. Further, it should be appreciated in the context of thepresent disclosure that the claims are not necessarily limited to theparticular embodiments set out in the description.

Referring now to FIG. 1, shown is a schematic diagram showing a frontperspective view of an example embodiment of a corn header 10 in anoperational configuration. The corn header 10 may be coupled to thefront of an agricultural harvester, such as a combine harvester, as isknown to those having ordinary skill in the art. The corn header 10comprises a cross auger 12 with spiral flighting 14 for sweeping theears of corn toward the center of the header 10. Large cross augers 12may also have paddles, fingers, or some other structures to facilitatethe delivery of the crop rearward to a feeder housing of the combineharvester. The header 10 has a plurality of forward-extending corn rowdivider assemblies 16, which provide a covering for underlying pluralrow units. The row units and the cross auger 12 define a feeder planetherebetween where useable parts of stalk crops are conveyed rearwardfrom the row units to the cross auger 12. One having ordinary skill inthe art should appreciate in the context of the present disclosure thatthe number of corn row divider assemblies 16 may differ among differenttypes of corn header, and that other configurations of corn headers withor without a different quantity of corn row divider assemblies arecontemplated to be within the scope of the disclosure. Each corn rowdivider assembly 16 comprises a fore and aft snout 18 and gatherer hood20, respectively, that are hingeably coupled. In one embodiment, thesnout 18 is longer than the gatherer hood 20, though not limited assuch. As should be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art,each corn row divider assembly 16 covers one stalk roll from eachadjacent row unit, and further covers associated structures, such as thepairs of gathering chains (or other conveying mechanisms), etc.

Turning attention to FIGS. 2A-2C, shown are schematic diagrams thatillustrate, in fragmentary, side elevation view, the corn header 10 ofFIG. 1 as each corn row divider assembly 16 transitions from anoperational configuration to a non-operational configuration. Asdescribed above, and referring to FIG. 2A, the corn header 10 comprisesplural corn row divider assemblies 16, such as corn row divider assembly16. The corn row divider assembly 16 comprises the fore end snout 18hingeably coupled to the aft end gatherer hood 20. The corn header 10also comprises the cross auger 12, which is depicted in FIG. 2A asslightly overhanging a defined distance “D” relative to the aft end ofthe gatherer hood 20. Also depicted in FIG. 2A is a row unit 22,comprising well-known functionality. Other depicted structures, such asthe frame, drive for the cross auger, etc. are well-known and hencediscussion of the same is omitted here for brevity.

Referring to FIG. 2B, shown is the corn header 10, and in particular,the corn row divider assembly 16, in a transitional configuration (e.g.,in one embodiment, one or more configurations between operational andnon-operational configurations). Length dimension limits 24A and 24Brepresent the maximum length of the corn header 10 allowed in certainjurisdictions when in the transport configuration. The ground plane isdenoted as reference numeral 26, and serves as a boundary beyond (e.g.,beneath) which a proper design for the corn row divider assembly 16 andcorresponding folding function, as disclosed herein, should not exceed.Also introduced in FIG. 2B is a telescoping support 28 (e.g.,mechanical-based, gas strut, etc.) secured on one end to a row unitframe 30 and at the other end to an underside (e.g., to an upper frame)of the gatherer hood 20. A four-point hinge assembly 32 is also depictedin FIG. 2B as located at the underside, aft-end of the gatherer hood 20.As described below, the cooperation of the support 28 and four-pointhinge assembly 32 enables a transitional configuration of the corn rowdivider assembly 16 where the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 move upwardand (at least momentarily) forward of a fore end 31 of the cross auger12 to circumvent interference between an aft end 33 of the gathered hood20 and the fore end 31 of the cross auger 12.

Explaining further, the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 in FIG. 2B areshown in a transitional configuration corresponding to a serviceposition. Compared to conventional corn headers that use a simple hinge,the corn header 10 of the present disclosure uses, at the rear andunderside of the gatherer hood 20, the four-point hinge assembly 32. Oneadvantage to using the four point hinge assembly 32 over a simple hingeis that, as the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 are raised, the rear (aftend) of the gatherer hood 20 moves away from the cross auger 12 andupward. Such an upward and forward moving motion enables more clearancebetween the gatherer hood 20 and the cross auger 12, resulting in anincreased angle by which the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 assembly canbe raised without interference with the cross auger 12. The position ofthe pivot points, the distance between pivot points, and theirrelationships determine the motion of the assembly.

FIG. 2C shows the corn header 10 (and corn row divider assembly 16) in anon-operational configuration (e.g., for transport and/or storage). Thesupport 28 is extended to a steady-state (e.g., locked or secured)position, as is the four-point hinge assembly 32, and the snout 18 andgatherer hood 20 are collapsed or folded over relative to one another,enabling the corn header 10 to reside within the fore and aft limits 24Aand 24B (e.g., 8 ft., 6 inches) for transport without the fore end ofthe snout 18 extending beyond the ground plane 26. Further, thenon-operational configuration (e.g., storage configuration) enables thecorn header 10 to be compactly stored.

Note that in some embodiments, the non-operational configuration maycorrespond to any range of configurations commencing from the point whenthe snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 are folded over. In some embodiments,the steady-state position (e.g., for the locking of the support 28 andfour point hinge assembly 32) may be located elsewhere within thepost-fold over range than depicted in FIG. 2C, and in some embodiments,the range of motion of the corn row divider assembly 16 may beadjustable (e.g., through adjustment at the four-point hinge assembly32).

Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3B, shown are schematic diagrams in overhead,front perspective fragmentary view of an example embodiment of a support28 embodied as a gas strut (as opposed to a mechanical, telescoping propor support as illustrated previously) and the four-point hinge assembly32, as the corn row divider assembly 16 transitions from an operationalconfiguration. It should be appreciated that the support 28 may be anymechanical device(s) or assembly (or assemblies) that enables extensionand retraction and secure support (steady state positioning) in theservice, transport, and storage configurations (where not the same asthe transport configuration). Referring to FIG. 3A, shown is bracketing34 that couples a top frame of the gatherer hood 20 to a lower frame 36of the corn row divider assembly. In some embodiments, the frame 36 andthe frame 30 may be the same (contiguous) structure, and in someembodiments, they may be discontiguous structures. Three of the fourpoints of the four-point hinge assembly 32 are observed in FIG. 3A,including points 38, 40, and 42. The fourth point, obscured from view,is located beneath the location denoted by reference numeral 44.Referring to FIG. 3B (with some features of FIG. 3A omitted to avoidobfuscating relevant features), the gas strut 28 is shown as extendedfrom the frame 30 and an underside (e.g., frame) of the gatherer hood20, and the four-point hinge assembly 32 is shown with plural hingemembers 46, 48, 50, and 52 that facilitate the transition from theoperational configuration shown in FIG. 3A to a transitionalconfiguration.

Turning now attention to FIG. 4, a schematic diagram is show in abottom, side perspective view of a portion of a telescoping support 28coupled to a cross frame 54 of the gatherer hood 20 (FIG. 1), and a moredetailed view of an embodiment of the four point hinge assembly 32. Inparticular, a frame 56 disposed on the underside of the gatherer hood 20comprises the cross frame 54 extending between parallel fore and aftsides of the frame 56. Also coupled to the frame 56 are the hingemembers 46, 48, 50, and 52. Referring to one of the parallel sides ofthe frame 56 (with the understanding of symmetry or substantial symmetrywith regard to the other side), the hinge member 48 is coupled to theframe 56, fore and aft and slightly offset in elevation, at pivot points38 and 42, respectively. The hinge member 52 comprises fore and aft andslightly offset in elevation pivot points 40 and 44, the latter coupledto the frame 56. The frame members 52 and 50 are coupled to together byan intervening rotating member 58 disposed between the two parallelsides of the frame 56. It should be appreciated that the four-pointhinge assembly 32 depicted in FIG. 4 is illustrative, and that in someembodiments, other four-point hinge structures may be used and hence arecontemplated to be within the scope of the disclosure.

Having described an example four-point hinge assembly 32, reference ismade to FIGS. 5A-5C, which are schematic diagrams showing a fragmentary,side elevation view of an example embodiment of a corn row dividerassembly 16 revealing a change in configuration of the four-point hingeassembly 32 of FIG. 4 as the corn row divider assembly 16 transitionsfrom an operational configuration to a non-operational configuration.Discussion of certain features, such as the support 28, have beenomitted to focus on the progression in movement of the four-point hingeassembly 32. As shown in FIG. 5A, the four-point hinge assembly 32 is atleast partially obscured from view by the bracketing 34. The corn rowdivider assembly 16 is depicted in the operational configuration. InFIG. 5B, and referring to the four-point hinge assembly 32 from theperspective of one side (with the other side operating in kind), thecorn row divider assembly 16 is depicted in a transitional configuration(e.g., service position), with the hinge members 48 and 52 shownoriented in a somewhat counter-clockwise fashion (viewed from theperspective of the figure) relative to the operational configuration ofFIG. 5A, with the four-point hinge assembly 32 raising the snout 18 andgatherer hood 20 to approximately a forty-five degree angle relative tothe operational configuration (though not limited to that angle for theservice position). With regard to FIG. 5C, the somewhatcounter-clockwise rotation of the hinge members 48 and 52 of thefour-point hinge assembly 32 of the corn row divider assembly 16continues, wherein the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 are in anon-operational configuration reflected by the observation that thesnout 18 and gatherer hood 20 are folded relative to one another attheir hingeable coupling 60 and the aft end of the gatherer hood 20, inone embodiment, is located more forwardly than when in the operationalconfiguration (FIG. 5A). In other words, the gatherer hood 20 is tiltedrearwardly, enabling the fore end of the snout 18 to be disposed closerto the aft end of the gatherer hood 20 without digging into the ground.As indicated above, some embodiments may have a non-operationalconfiguration that is more upright than the depiction in FIG. 5C.

FIGS. 6A-6D are schematic diagrams showing a fragmentary, side elevationview of an example embodiment of a corn row divider assembly 16 withtelescoping support 28 and four-point hinge assembly 32 having a hingemember 52 (as well as the mirrored hinge member 50, FIG. 4) progressingthrough a series of relative angle changes as the corn row dividerassembly 16 transitions from an operational configuration to anon-operational configuration. Referring to FIG. 6A, the corn rowdivider assembly 16 is depicted as in a transitional configuration,where the hinge member 52 of the four-point hinge assembly 32 is shownat a fifteen (15) degree offset from a reference axis 62 (the referenceaxis corresponding to the zero (0) degree angle of the hinge member 52in the operational configuration). The support 28 is shown at a giventransitional extension, and the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 areraised.

In FIG. 6B, the corn row divider assembly 16 has advanced to atransitional configuration corresponding to a service position. Asshown, the support 28 has extended further relative to the configurationof the support 28 in FIG. 6A, and the hinge member 52 of the four-pointhinge assembly 32 has advanced to a forty-five (45) degree anglerelative to the reference axis 62.

FIG. 6C reveals that the row unit 16 comprises a transitionalconfiguration where the snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 are folded over,and the hinge member 52 of the four-point hinge assembly 32 (and therelative angle) and the support 28 remain unchanged (or insignificantlyunchanged) from the configuration shown in FIG. 6B.

With regard to FIG. 6D, the corn row divider assembly 16 is in anon-operational configuration (e.g., storage, transport, or both), wherethe snout 18 and gatherer hood 20 are folded over relative to oneanother in a more acute angle (e.g., closer), and collectively tiltedrearward. The hinge member 52 of the four-point hinge assembly 32 hasadvanced to a ninety (90) degree angle relative to the reference axis62, and the support 28 is extended and locked to its secured position.

It should be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art in thecontext of the present disclosure that the transitioning fromnon-operational configuration to operational configuration is merely thereverse of the above-described process, and that such a method (in bothdirections) may be achieved through manual, automated, or semi-automatedmechanisms. In some embodiments, the transitions may be achieved with orwithout lift assist mechanisms (e.g., springs, coils, etc.).

Having described some example embodiments of a corn header 10 and cornrow divider assembly 16, it should be appreciated in view of the presentdisclosure that one embodiment of a gatherer and snout folding method64, depicted in FIG. 7, comprises moving a corn row divider assembly ofa corn header forwardly and upwardly from an operational configurationof the corn row divider assembly, the corn row divider assemblycomprising a snout hingeably coupled to a gatherer hood (66); collapsingthe snout relative to the gatherer hood (68); and moving the collapsedsnout and gatherer hood rearward to a non-operational configuration(70).

It should be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art thatthe above-described method may be executed out of order from that shownor discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order,depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by thosereasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations,merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of thedisclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to theabove-described embodiment(s) of the disclosure without departingsubstantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A corn header, comprising: a row unitframe; a hinge assembly; a rotatable cross auger configured to sweepears of corn toward a center of the corn header coupled to the frame,the cross auger having a fore end defined as a forward-most portion ofan outer circumference of the cross auger; and a corn row dividerassembly comprising a snout and gatherer hood, hingeably coupled to andaft of the snout, the gatherer hood being connected to the row unitframe by the hinge assembly and moveable by the hinge assembly betweenan operational position in which the snout and hood are configured tointeract with crop as the corn header traverses a field to be harvestedand an a raised non-operational configuration, wherein an aft end of thegatherer hood extends beneath and to the rear of the fore end of thecross auger in the operational configuration of the corn row dividerassembly and the hinge assembly moves gatherer hood to a position inwhich the aft end is forward of the fore end so that the gatherer hoodclears the cross auger when moving to the non-operational configuration.2. The corn header of claim 1, wherein the corn row divider assemblyfurther comprises a support adjustably extending from the row unit frameto an underside of the gatherer hood.
 3. The corn header of claim 2,wherein the support comprises a telescoping assembly.
 4. The corn headerof claim 2, wherein the support comprises a gas strut.
 5. The cornheader of claim 1, wherein the non-operational configuration comprises astorage configuration, a transport configuration, or both.